50th Carpenters COMPLETE - Box Set ideas

With 50th anniversaries approaching of both the Carpenters' signing with A&M in April of 1969, as well as the release of their first #1 hit (They Long To Be) Close To You in July of 1970, a complete box set is long overdue. By "complete" I mean audio/video/book related media all wrapped into one complete release.

I want to start a thread that encourages fans to give their input. The only caveat being, preferably no suggestions related to unreleased/shelved material that would have to be finished in order to see a release.

What I'm interested in for instance, would be elements such as the 1995 remix of Another Song that was only available on the Japanese Sweet Memory set and/or other alternate mixes on imports that never made it to the U.S., video elements related to the specials, pictures or graphical images etc.

When I listen to 1969-1973 Singles I hear overdubbed layers that don’t exist on other compilations which is why the improvements in Another Song are not worth the sacrifice for the same applies in the original Close To You album version of Another Song: background overdubs are missing in the remix but present in the mix from Close To You. Maybe that’s why I do like It’s Going To Take Some Time and Road Ode, they have improvements without the sacrifice of vocal layering. Same applies to I Can’t Make Music for there are not noticeable missing layers. All of the album of Close To You is better in the original form following the outlined formula above.
I would like the video Dance In The Old Fashioned Way. The Video of the PBS Boston Pops is another, and maybe the RPO can assist. The White House Video with improvements would also be nice. I think we have most everything else with exception of Live Videos like the Australian Video In 1972 and the Bokotan Video for release in the States. Just the music from Music Music Music in today’s quality would also be great but we already have most of that audio. I can’t wait to hear from the others.

With the video, it would be nice if whatever videos were shot and edited on film were rescanned, cleaned up and put on a Blu-Ray (and if any were originally shot on film but then edited on videotape, if those could be re-edited in HD, of course that is if the original seperate film still exists). We don’t need a 4K Blu-Ray, but still it would be nice to see those in at least 1080p, and maybe the 5.1 SACD masters could be pulled out and synched to the video as Uncompressed PCM or DTS-HD 5.1 mixes. Also Richard’s commentary from the 40th box set Gold DVD could be ported over. And then it would be nice to have a DVD featuring the videos that are from videotape, and again with any SACD 5.1 tracks synched to their respective videos in DTS 5.1, with any others that are stereo only presented in either Uncompressed PCM 2.0 Stereo or 2.0 DTS. (Or they could always put these videos on Blu-Ray in 480i and have their soundtracks in DTS-HD 5.1 or Uncompressed 5.1/2.0). Also seeing all the TV specials on DVD or Blu-Ray with their original mono audio and a 5.1 remix option would be great as well. Imagine seeing “The Carpenters At Christmas” on DVD in Uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo. (We know that the audio masters for “Christmas Alphabet” still exist as Richard was able to Remaster it from mono to stereo for the 2015 Christmas DVD).

I'm with tomswift, when it comes to the wish for cleaned up videos and if possible, a blu-ray. I've dreamed of a remastered or HD video collection for a while now. It would be quite a treasure to see new and cleaner prints from original sources of the classic videos and maybe more of the TV guests appearances if possible. I know it's often complicated to get rights to TV appearances, but it sure would be a dream come true to see more of those included in a collection. Would love to see their alternate "Sweet, Sweet Smile" TV guest performance released as well.
For the albums, it would be great to hear some of them remixed from the cleaner and first generation sources as Richard did for the recent Philharmonic release. Tracks like "I Just Fall In Love Again" are incredible and clear when you hear the difference in the vocal track when compared with the original album versions. Stunning. I feel the entire albums of "A Kind of Hush" and "Passage" would benefit from that treatment in particular. It would be wonderful for fan favorite tracks like "You" to get some attention and freshening up for a change. Would love a new mix of the Christmas material as well.
Thanks for asking for our opinions and wish lists, Chris!

... Slaughter on 10th Avenue.
Alternate take on Close to You.
"Single" version of Dancing in the Street and Thank you for the Music...
Remix of Road Ode.
Richard's solo of The Very Thought of You (IF solo cuts are considered).

How about a box set containing a "two-disc set" of each album. Disk one would be the original album. Disk 2 would be the album with various tweaks...maybe existing remixes, maybe new remixes, maybe Richard would like to slip an RPO version in there occasionally. Then any leftover space on Disk 2 could be filled with single mixes, other mixes, live recordings, and just whatever other stuff there is related to that album.

Maybe each CD could be a CD-Plus and include press, ads, and other memorabilia that could be viewed on a computer.

With the video, it would be nice if whatever videos were shot and edited on film were rescanned, cleaned up and put on a Blu-Ray (and if any were originally shot on film but then edited on videotape, if those could be re-edited in HD, of course that is if the original seperate film still exists). We don’t need a 4K Blu-Ray, but still it would be nice to see those in at least 1080p, and maybe the 5.1 SACD masters could be pulled out and synched to the video as Uncompressed PCM or DTS-HD 5.1 mixes. Also Richard’s commentary from the 40th box set Gold DVD could be ported over. And then it would be nice to have a DVD featuring the videos that are from videotape, and again with any SACD 5.1 tracks synched to their respective videos in DTS 5.1, with any others that are stereo only presented in either Uncompressed PCM 2.0 Stereo or 2.0 DTS. (Or they could always put these videos on Blu-Ray in 480i and have their soundtracks in DTS-HD 5.1 or Uncompressed 5.1/2.0). Also seeing all the TV specials on DVD or Blu-Ray with their original mono audio and a 5.1 remix option would be great as well. Imagine seeing “The Carpenters At Christmas” on DVD in Uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo. (We know that the audio masters for “Christmas Alphabet” still exist as Richard was able to Remaster it from mono to stereo for the 2015 Christmas DVD).

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Yes! I might not understand the technical aspects of what you are saying but I get your gist. So many Carpenters videos that exist on say YouTube etc, are grainy and of very poor quality. If only those can be cleaned up along with the audio that went along with them. There is someone on YouTube that has been posting video from David Frost and Andy Williams where the duo made guest appearances (video which I had never seen before), but the picture quality is so fuzzy you can barely make out who is who.

I'd like to see all the original albums (no remixes) put through the same computer technology that the RPO received (obviously no added RPO orchestra)...which allowed them to bring Karen's vocal closer to the front and sound so crisp and clear without the use of echo or reverb. Any book or video would be an added bonus.

I'd like to read more of Richard's notes about each album, not rehashing what's already been stated but new updated info. As mentioned above, I'd like it to be a complete set including all the Carpenters original albums and both solo albums. I also hope they offer the 50th as both CD and LP collection....this might finally allow for Karen's solo album to get a much needed LP release.

Another thing that would be nice, and I take inspiration from CD reissues of ABBA, Dusty Springfield and Nancy Sinatra, would be for each album to be released with added bonus tracks on the end that were recorded around the time of the album, not necessarily just unreleased tracks but things like single mixes, jingles, interviews, live performances ect. And include a nice thick booklet with each filled with detailed notes by Richard on recording details and dates and include lots of photos, rarer ones like photos of the original master tape of the album.

So for example, I made these as playlists on my Xbox games console (oh the joys of being a teenage boy who happens to be a Carpenters fan )

With their albums I added the extra tracks...

Horizon
1-10 as originally released
11. Good Friends Are For Keeps
12. Please Mr. Postman (single)
13. Sailing On The Tide
14. Morinaga Hi-Crown Commercial
15. Tryin' To Get That Feeling Again
16. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (single)
17. Only Yesterday (live)

Made In America
1-10 as originally released
11. The Rainbow Connection
12. Make Believe It's Your First Time
13. You're Just In Love
14. At The End Of A Song
15. Touch Me When We're Dancing (live)
16. Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore
17. You'll Never Know
18. Prime Time Love
19. The Uninvited Guest
20. Two Lives
21. Kiss Me The Way You Did Last Night
22. Record Town Promo
23. Those Good Old Dreams (RPO)

I know that means ripping apart the posthumous albums but I'm sure Richard would have other things to put in their place if he didn't want to do that like TV performances, Live, unreleased, remixed, alternative takes ect. Think of it as an expanded album box set.

... And maybe instead of having Ticket To Ride as the first disc (have it as the second) with CD 1 as an "Origins" collection. It could look like this: (first two are from the mook)

We'll Be Together
Don't Tell Me
Looking For Love
I'll Be Yours
The Parting Of Our Ways
You'll Love Me
Caravan
Iced Tea
Strangers In The Night
Flat Baroque
Every Little Thing
All I Can Do
All Of My Life
Goodnight
And When I Die

So this disc could include everything from RCA, Joe's studio, the Trio, including the live Hollywood Bowl versions, the Spectrum and the Long Beach Choir recordings.

More than anything I’d like to hear the first two passes they made on Close To You. ABBA did something similar with their song Like An Angel Passing Through My Room, releasing the previously unreleased versions of the track (albeit as a medley) to show how the song evolved from conception to its final state. That would be amazing.

Actually, my idea of a "set" would be high-res digital of all the original album mixes, and nothing more. No bonuses, no alternates, no remixes or re-records. The inclusion of all the original single mixes would be a nice bonus (like the 3" CD set from Japan).

I'd love the studio albums re-imagined with bonus tracks, outtakes, incomplete and unreleased tracks, interviews, commercials etc., thicker booklets/hardback overs with tons of photos and Richard's thoughts, the three BBC specials on DVD/Bluray, the five ABC-TV specials remastered on DVD/Bluray with the promotional spots, interviews from various shows, guest spots on Carol Burnett, Andy Williams etc. as bonus videos and Richard's commentary/interview on each special, much like Barbra Streisand did with hers. Also include the Carpenters only video tracks from Make Your Own Kind of Music. Complete Karen's solo tracks and Richard's unreleased Christmas album. That's my idea of a complete 50th box set.

Probably getting much too far astray here, but perhaps somewhere in there a single-disk compilation of tracks by artists who say they've been influenced by the Carpenters (specific tracks offered by the artists themselves as evidence of the influence, with an essay booklet in which each artist discusses their influence). For example, I've just now been reading Brian Wilson's memoir "I Am Brian Wilson" and was surprised to see the Carpenters mentioned several times, including as one act whose records he often listened to. There's some cred!

I'd love the studio albums re-imagined with bonus tracks, outtakes, incomplete and unreleased tracks, interviews, commercials etc., thicker booklets/hardback overs with tons of photos and Richard's thoughts, the three BBC specials on DVD/Bluray, the five ABC-TV specials remastered on DVD/Bluray with the promotional spots, interviews from various shows, guest spots on Carol Burnett, Andy Williams etc. as bonus videos and Richard's commentary/interview on each special, much like Barbra Streisand did with hers. Also include the Carpenters only video tracks from Make Your Own Kind of Music. Complete Karen's solo tracks and Richard's unreleased Christmas album. That's my idea of a complete 50th box set.

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Yes ! Those BBC specials need remastering on DVD. And the 5 ABC, MYOKOM as well as any other tv spots... Time, effort and money went into making them, they deserve to be preserved and reshown, not aired once and left on a shelf to collect dust.

I'd also love Richard to do something with all the live shows he has. He could release a box set, maybe the best concert of each year or a "best of" all live shows. If an album-by-album box set was released, Live At The Palladium could be extended by including the songs removed like I Need To Be In Love, Don't Be Afraid/Sing (with the fun audience participation), Close To You (Spike Jones), the Grease scene and Yesterday Once More. I think they also did These Are The Jokes Folks and Coming Thru The Rye/Good Vibrations. Also it could include dialogue between songs.